���������¼�

���������¼� Aviation has developed a unique degree program and minor focused on drone operations,��partnering with organisations using drone technologies and services for social impact.

Our work-integrated-learning partner Australian UAV Service / Surf Lifesaving NSW, has pioneered the use of drones for emergency services including shark detection and search and rescue, as well as STEM education of hundreds of school students alongside the SheMaps program. This partnership is extending to assisting other NGOs start their own drone operations, such as ReForest Now’s monitoring of rainforest replanting in NSW and Indonesia. ���������¼� students trained by AUAVS are now helping Seaflight Technologies demonstrate large drone logistics to very remote areas in Australia, and between isolated islands in the Pacific where a lack of affordable air service is an economic handbrake. An all-electric 150kg drone developed between Seaflight, Macquarie University, and ���������¼� will make a historic 700km flight in early 2026.

Stall hosted by��Dr Graham Doig, Senior Lecturer, School of Aviation, ���������¼� Faculty of Science &��James Bassam, Service Manager, Australian UAV Service / Surf Lifesaving NSW

ACOSS (Australian Council of Social Service) has partnered with ���������¼� Sydney to undertake a research and impact collaboration to sharpen the national focus on poverty and inequality in Australia.

The partnership monitors trends in poverty and inequality over time, explores drivers, and develops solutions to sharpen the focus and stimulate action to tackle these policy challenges. The Partnership has had impact, influencing media narratives, government policies and development of evidence-based solutions to poverty and inequality, and been prolific, generating a large body of high quality, policy relevant reports which have attracted significant media and public interest. It has adapted to changes in circumstances, for example, producing a series of reports specifically on the impact of COVID on poverty and inequality during the pandemic.

The Partnership��is the leading source of online poverty research and information nationally and seeks to influence the next generation through delivery of resources for school teachers.��

Stall hosted by��Dr Yuvisthi Naidoo, Senior Research Fellow, Social Policy Research Centre, ���������¼�

Water Security for Food, Livelihoods, and Climate Resilience: ���������¼� Partnerships in Timor-Leste

In a meeting with H.E. President José Ramos-Horta and ���������¼� senior leadership in August 2023, the President emphasised that enhancing water security is a national priority, essential for food security, community livelihoods, and climate resilience.Following this, ���������¼� partnered with Permatil, a leading permaculture organisation, to support catchment management and spring restoration in rural areas.

���������¼� students and staff have engaged in field visits, satellite analysis of catchment greenness, groundwater monitoring, and youth training camps, strengthening locally led initiatives. Collaboration has enabled capacity development for early-career academics and joint research presentations at international conferences.Based on the strength of this partnership, funding has been secured from ACIAR to expand nature-based solutions for sustainable catchment management.

Future initiatives include scaling Permatil activities through the Global Environment Facility, participation in regional food and water security events, and a symposium with the Dili Institute of Technology. These partnerships are directly improving water management, supporting livelihoods, and empowering local stakeholders to sustain healthy communities in Timor-Leste.

Stall hosted by��Professor Greg Leslie, Director of UNSW Global Water Institute

By 2050, nearly one in four people in Australia will be 65 years and older.��

This demographic shift brings both opportunities and challenges – from ensuring healthy, independent lives to adapting healthcare, housing, workplaces, and communities for older populations.��

The ���������¼� Ageing Futures Institute brings together researchers from science, medicine, engineering, social sciences, art, design, and law to address these complex issues through interdisciplinary collaboration.��

We work across disciplines to better understand ageing as a lifelong process and to create solutions that enhance wellbeing, reduce inequities, and support social participation at all stages of life. By connecting research with government, healthcare, industry, and communities, we also ensure our work responds to real-world needs.

Our research spans:

• dementia prevention
• innovative models of care
• healthy ageing for diverse populations
• urban planning
• creating age-inclusive workplaces
• social robotics and technology to support ageing at home
• evidence-informed policy, and more.

Stall hosted by��The ���������¼� Ageing Futures Institute

Gamifying rehabilitation using virtual reality to enable healthier lives for people living with neurological impairment

Virtual reality offers more than enhancements to entertainment and gaming. By serving as an adjunct to classical physiotherapy, gamification of conventional exercises creates new opportunities for engaging patients in rehabilitation and providing feedback on performance.

Come along and try it out.

This stall will be hosted by Juno Kim, Professor, ���������¼� Medicine and Health.

EulerESG presents a scalable and intelligent platform for automating the extraction, standardization, and evaluation of ESG disclosures.

Built on large language models(LLMs) and a modular framework, the system drastically reduces the manual effort involved in ESG analysis while ensuring consistency and comparability across industries and reporting standards.

By enabling systematic benchmarking, EulerESG enhances transparency, supports regulatory compliance, and empowers evidencebased decision-making for investors, companies, and policymakers alike.�� The platform’s flexible architecture is designed to adapt seamlessly to evolving ESG requirements and domain-specific contexts, making it a future-ready solution in a rapidly changing sustainability landscape. With its ability to deliver accurate, efficient, and transparent ESG insights, EulerESG contributes directly to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fostering accountability across global value chains.��

Stall hosted by Kino Ding,��Casual Academic, School of Computer Science and Engineering; Zhengyi Yang, Associate Lecturer, School of Computer Science and Engineering;�� Mingchen Ju, Project Manager, Euler AI.����

Australians are consuming too much salt, raising blood pressure (leading to hypertension) and increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Potassium-enriched salt looks, tastes, and cooks just like regular salt, but it helps lower blood pressure and protect heart health.

Research by The George Institute for Global Health shows that potassium-enriched salt is a practical, scalable way to reduce blood pressure, lower the risk of strokes and heart attacks, and contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3.4.1, which tracks premature mortality from non-communicable diseases.

Unlike regular salt, which is 100% sodium chloride, potassium-enriched salt replaces some harmful sodium with heart-friendly potassium chloride, delivering the same flavour with added health benefits.

Stall hosted by��The George Institute for Global Health.��

In the depths of Australian winter or summer you’ll often here the question:�� Why are Australian houses so cold in winter and hot in summer?����

This project is a deep dive into government policy to try and find an answer. Because it is not only a question of comfort–poor energy efficiency leads to increased emissions, high energy bills and poor health. Part of the Race for 2030 - Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes project.��

This stall will be hosted by the ���������¼� Centre for Sustainable Reform.

This pilot research project explores the experiences of neurodivergent people in public open spaces across the City of Sydney.

An estimated 15–20% of the population are neurodivergent (e.g., people with autism or ADHD), and they often perceive and interact with the world through their senses in ways that differ from neurotypical people. Using semi-structured walking tour interviews, the research captures neurodivergent participants’ lived experiences across a range of settings—including formal and informal public spaces, transitional areas, and circulation zones.

The study is supported through an Ideas and Innovation grant from the City of Sydney and is being conducted by the ���������¼� City Futures Research Centre in collaboration with the University of Sydney and the University of Technology Sydney. Its findings will inform updates to the City’s Inclusive and Accessible Public Domain Guidelines (2020), embedding neurodiversity into urban design and ensuring more equitable access to public spaces and services.

Stall hosted by Fatemeh Aminpour, Research Fellow, City Futures Research Centre &��Maximilienne Whitby, Research Associate, City Futures Research Centre.��

This team are also running a workshop at 10.30am in the Club Bar.

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AI is Progress but is it Progress for all? Large language models work well for English but whose English?

While large language models (LLMs) report superlative performance on benchmark tasks, they exacerbate existing socio-linguistic hierarchies. There has been some work from the US on biases against African-American English. However, no such work exists for language varieties relevant in Australia.

The Natural Language Processing (NLP) research group are working on enhancing language models for language varieties, developing new datasets, methodologies and evaluation strategies in foundational, applied and inclusive NLP.

Stall hosted by Aditya Joshi, Senior Lecturer, School of��Computer Science and Engineering.

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In a time of environmental, social, and economic crisis, textiles are increasingly under scrutiny.

���������¼� Textiles & Fashion respond to this by demonstrating how textile practices can be place-based, relational, and deeply attuned to principles of justice and planetary care. Through innovative material-led and responsible approaches, their project Future Textiles positions design as a critical tool for imagining and enacting sustainable futures.

Future Textiles demonstrates the transformative potential of textile design in addressing urgent global challenges. From practical solutions for industry to speculative provocations, the works presented by ���������¼� students, researchers, and alumni respond to real-world problems where textiles can — and must — play a positive role in shaping life on Earth.��

Stall hosted by��Monika Cvitanovic, Student Learning.

Sustainable Urbanism and Design is an interdisciplinary elective course that has run in since 2023. It is focused on introducing students to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and empowering them to design solutions that address the challenges identified in a city of their choice.  

 The course integrates AI tools as a collaborator to assist in understanding the challenges, designing systems and infrastructure proposals and communicating solutions. Throughout the course students explore how they can integrate AI technology into the design process to better understand the challenges and to design radical design proposals that are required to address the ambitious targets set out in the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Stall hosted by��Ben Allen, EF Lecturer, Nexus Fellow, School of Built Environment.

Bandicoot Imaging Sciences has revolutionised the way the fashion industry approaches digital design and reproduction for prominent Australian fashion labels.

It has doen this by significantly enhancing design fidelity and reducing the textile waste normally generated during product development and delivery to consumers. This is just one example from the unlimited possibilities where digital twins can offer industrial benefits in advanced manufacturing.

Stall hosted by��Juno Kim, Professor, School of Optometry.��

Explore Construction Careers with Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality.

The ���������¼� Women in Construction project is funded by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Office for Women under the Australian Government’s Women’s Leadership and Development Program. It aims to attract, retain, and empower women in the construction industry, which remains a traditionally male-dominated sector.

The project engages female high-school students, women studying construction in universities, and women working in the construction industry, to gain an in-depth understanding of the industry’s diverse job opportunities. By developing innovative tools such as an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based career guidance platform and a Virtual Reality (VR) construction site tour, the project seeks to break down barriers to entry, enhance visibility of career pathways, and create more inclusive opportunities for women to thrive in construction.

Stall hosted by Diya Yan, Research Assistant, School of Built Environment.

Chronic back pain (pain lasting over 3 months) is the leading cause of long-term disability globally and often associated with psychological concerns.

General practice is often the first point of care for back pain, where patients should expect access to evidence-based care that could include education and psychological interventions. These interventions can help reduce pain, improve function, and ease suffering. Unfortunately, many people leave the GP’s office without clear evidence-based care, and even when effective options are offered, access is limited by geographic barriers and shortage of health professionals, 28% of Australians live in rural or remote areas.

To tackle this problem, we fostered collaboration between industry and academia. Our research team is conducting an effectiveness-implementation trial in general practices, where patients with back pain are randomly allocated to receive either education via a fact sheet or education combined with evidence-based clinical hypnosis via a mobile app, seamlessly delivered after the consultation. In 2024, we conducted a feasibility study with 60 participants and in 2025 we commenced a large-scale clinical trial, which has recruited 100 participants (15% of the proposed sample size). We aim to identify a cost-effective treatment for back pain and the practical strategies required for real-world implementation, showing that adequate care can be effectively delivered in general practice.

Stall hosted by��Dr Rodrigo Rizzo, a��Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Health Sciences, alongside docorial candidates��Isha Mishra and��Filipe Souza.

Discover the impacts of light pollution and construction and discover how mitigation approaches such as eco-engineering (Living Seawalls), and restoration of multi-habitats (project Restore) are helping to re-green coastal infrastructures.��

The Living Seawalls project aims to enhance the ecological value of artificial structures in the marine environment such as seawalls and pilings. We're currently assessing the ecological benefits of scaling up greening interventions on coastal infrastructure by adding different types of habitat-enhancing units to seawalls, pilings and breakwaters in Australia and worldwide.��

Stall hosted by the School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences. They will also participate in a talk on Underwater Rehabilitation at 12.30pm in room A on the 1F of the Roundhouse.

A team of computational designers from the School of Built Environment at ���������¼� Arts, Design & Architecture has developed innovative 3D-printed reef structures – called BioShelters – to help reestablish oyster populations around Sydney Harbour.

The project, supported by Landcom and NSW Government funding, applies advanced computational methods architects use to design and fabricate green coastal infrastructure.

Each BioShelter is made from a 3D-printed recycled plastic mould and filled with a concrete mix that includes crushed oyster shells. They are approximately six metres by two metres and 90 centimetres in height and segmented into 25 individual panels. The BioShelters have recently been installed at the new Sydney Fish Market site in Glebe, an area where natural habitats have been lost due to urban development.

In places like Sydney, more than 50 per cent of the harbour shoreline has been modified with built structures, such as seawalls, to protect coastal infrastructure. However, these structures are typically flat and lack the features and crevices of a natural rocky shoreline needed to support native biodiversity.

Stall hosted by the School of Built Environment. They will also participate in a talk on Underwater Rehabilitation at 12.30pm in room A on the 1F of the Roundhouse.

���������¼� is home to the largest and most diverse community of energy researchers in Australia, recognised globally for pioneering contributions in solar, storage, hydrogen, grids, markets and policy.

With a portfolio of over 200 energy-related capabilities and projects the ���������¼� Energy Institute brings this breadth of this expertise together, showcasing and amplifying our work across faculties and schools. 

By connecting researchers with industry, government and community stakeholders, the Institute ensures ���������¼�’s research is translated into solutions that matter, from supporting the commercialisation of new technologies to delivering evidence-based policy insights.  

Our vision is for Australia to be a global leader in the energy transformation, focused on: 

• Energy that is affordable, reliable, sustainable, and equitable
• Energy that underpins a growing economy and prosperity for all Australians, and
• Energy that contributes to solving many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This stall is hosted by Dani Alexander, CEO of the ���������¼� Energy Institute.

The Global Student Fellowship program provides ���������¼� students with a paid opportunity to gain work experience and build a career pathway in human rights.

Global Student Fellows are hosted by leading international development or human rights-based organisations in Australia and overseas, including Engineers Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, UN Migration and the World Food Programme. Students can gain practical experience in human rights and help build their networks during the fellowship. Come and talk to us at the Showcase.

Stall hosted by��The Australian Human Rights Institute

This digital memory card game connects cutting-edge vision care technologies—such as AI-based screenings, low-cost eyeglasses, and immersive simulations—to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Participants match each innovation with its corresponding SDG, reinforcing the vital role of eye health in global sustainability. The experience is designed to be engaging, educational, and accessible, using interactive tools to highlight the transformative power of vision.

This stall, located in Room C on the first floor of the Roundhouse, is hosted by Ingrid Jimenez Barbosa, Revathy Mani, and Vanessa Honson — Lecturers from the School of Optometry and Vision Science — along with Lucy Jo, Educational Developer from Education and Student Experience.

���������¼� publishes thousands of valuable research papers every year that support key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Through both publisher and repository Open Access (OA), many publications from ���������¼� researchers are openly available to the public, enabling equity among a more diverse group of researchers and accelerating progress on these global challenges. However, there is still a significant portion of SDG-aligned publications that are locked behind paywalls. Through ���������¼�orks, ���������¼�’s institutional repository, it is possible to make many of these publications open, greatly increasing the reach and impact of this research.

International Open Access Week is an opportunity for the research community to share the benefits of OA and inspire wider participation in the Open Scholarship movement. To mark Open Access Week 2025, ���������¼� Library has collated data from Dimensions, a research discovery and analytics platform, and ���������¼�orks to track our progress towards making all SDG-aligned research open. We invite all ���������¼� researchers to talk with us to see how their work may be aligned with the SDGs and how it could be made openly available in ���������¼�orks.

This stall will be in room C on the 1F of the Roundhouse, hosted by��Jeremy Carr, Manager Research Reporting, and��Gerry Devine, Senior Research Data Librarian, ���������¼� Library. They will also do a short presentation on their work in this room at 2.20pm.

The Museum of Human Disease at ���������¼� Sydney will showcase a powerful selection of real human tissues and organs for the SDG Showcase, highlighting the impact of smoking, alcohol use, and cardiovascular disease—three of Australia’s greatest health challenges.

Each specimen will be paired with personal case histories and clear explanations, connecting the science of disease with lived human experience.

Museum staff will guide discussion, answer questions, and make complex health concepts accessible for all visitors. This rare opportunity to engage directly with preserved human organs transforms abstract ideas into tangible realities, showing how lifestyle choices shape health outcomes.

By sparking curiosity, empathy, and open conversation, the Museum’s approach directly supports SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, empowering individuals and communities to make informed decisions about prevention and healthier living.

Join us to experience how education through authentic specimens can inspire lasting impact.

This stall is in the Club Bar on the 1F of the Roundhouse, hosted by Jo Dable, Museum Team Leader.

Inclusive research involves people with disability not just as participants, but as co-creators of knowledge.

It means changing the traditional power dynamics of the research process and creating a shared culture of knowledge creation. Co-production is the process of collaboration and collective decision-making in research. It is a pathway towards authentic power sharing and collaboration between academic researchers, people with disability, organisations, individuals and communities.����

The Disability Innovation Institute ���������¼� have created a to help academic and lived experience researches understand and appreciate the importance of co-producing research together.��

Collect a copy of the guidelines and talk to the DIIU team about how co-production can enhance your own work.��

This stall is in room C on the 1F of the Roundhouse, hosted by��Disability Innovation Institute ���������¼�.��The Institute will also do a short presentation on their work in this room at 1.40pm.

The Environmental Sustainability team works with the ���������¼� community to embed sustainable practices across our campuses - helping accelerate the transition to a thriving, sustainable future.

Our initiatives focus on three pillars: Climate Action, Living Campuses, and Resource Efficiency, supporting SDGs 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, and 14.��

Visit our stall to explore campus sustainability projects and learn practical ways to make a difference when studying, working or visiting our campuses.

This stall is in the catering room on the GF of the Roundhouse, hosted by��Mylene Turban, Sustainability Engagement Manager, Operations.

Climate Fresk: Empowering Climate Action through Interactive Workshop

Climate Fresk is a global non-profit founded in 2015 to promote climate education and action. Since mid-2024, a small ���������¼� team has delivered 11 Climate Fresk workshops to over 300 students and staff, supporting SDG 13: Climate Action.

At the 2025 SDG Showcase, we’re introducing the Climate Fresk Quiz—a hands-on version of the 3-hour workshop. Trained staff and student facilitators will guide visitors in the activity and explain how Climate Fresk is deployed at ���������¼�.

Climate Fresk workshops build climate literacy and science-based decision-making skills. Participants explore key concepts like the greenhouse effect and carbon cycles, engage with real data, and draw from the most trusted source of climate science, the IPCC. Through interactive problem-solving and debate, they develop a deeper understanding of climate issues and how to take informed, effective action in their own contexts.

This stall is in the catering room on GF of the Roundhouse, hosted by��Mylene Turban, Sustainability Engagement Manager, Operations and��Tania Leimbach, Lecturer, Arts, Design & Architecture.

Meet Thoughtful Foods – your friendly neighbourhood food co-op that's been making sustainable shopping simple and affordable for over 30 years!

Located right on ���������¼� campus, we're owned and operated entirely by our tight-knit community of 150+ members and supported by our dedicated volunteers and customers.��

Our bulk-buying approach allows you to scoop exactly what you need into your own jars and bags, – from spices and pasta, eco-friendly cleaners, self care products and delicious vegan treats. There's truly something here for everyone! Members enjoy 10% discounts on most groceries, and can order fresh organic produce boxes from Australian farms, and artisan bread from local Sydney bakeries.��

As a cooperative, we demonstrate how responsible consumption (SDG 12) connects to food security, community health, wellbeing, and environmental action. We've proven that sustainable living doesn't require sacrifice but a strong community committed to these goals��

Ready to bring your own container to climate action?

This stall is in the catering room on GF of the Roundhouse, hosted by��Brenda Tronson.��

This innovative pedagogical initiative is embedded within a clinical skills course for second-year optometry students.

It aims to cultivate research capabilities, critical thinking, and professional collaboration by integrating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the curriculum.

The project focuses on SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), with additional relevance to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Students investigate eyecare accessibility and delivery of eyecare services in developing nations, particularly spectacle correction, and explore the systemic challenges faced by underserved populations.

Through research-based learning, students develop a deeper understanding of global health disparities and the role of equitable eyecare in sustainable development. The course encourages students to propose innovative, context-sensitive solutions aligned with the SDGs, fostering global citizenship and a commitment to inclusive healthcare.

This stall is in room C on the 1F of the Roundhouse, hosted by��Vanessa Honson, Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Optometry and Vision Science. Vanessa will also do a short presentation on her work in this room at 1.20pm.

BeKind is a campus-wide movement promoting a culture of care, inclusion, and everyday wellbeing at ���������¼�.

It invites staff and students to notice and reflect on small acts of kindness, sharing stories that build a more connected and compassionate community.

The initiative combines weekly activations such as kindness booths, gratitude walls, and giveaways, with a web-based app where participants log acts, earn points, and share stories. These stories make kindness visible, personal, and shareable, while the app’s virtual community allows users to read, vote, and stay inspired by others’ actions.

Aligned with ���������¼�’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 10), BeKind offers a scalable model for embedding kindness and community into everyday university life.

This stall is in the certing room on the GF of thr Roundhouse and hosted by��Gabi Nudelman, School of Management and Governance.